I currently have the 3.5-10 mounted on my 350 Legend. Great scope. I wasn’t sure if 10x would be enough for 500 yards target shooting.This Leupold fits your bill just fine.
https://www.leupold.com/vx-3hd-3-5-10x40-cds-zl-duplex#/product.features.
You don't need more than 10x mag. The MOA adjustments with zero lock are great. I've used Leupolds like this for sheep, goats, tahr, elk, plains game... you get the idea. They have never failed me worldwide.
Stay with a smaller lightweight scope. 40 to 44 on the Objective. I've hunted with larger and especially when mountain hunting the larger scopes are heavy and cumbersome.
I concur that the 4.5x14 would be a great scope also. Model #180619. it is here:
VX-3HD 4.5-14x40 CDS-ZL Duplex
The VX®-3HD 4.5-14x40mm delivers legendary performance and elite optical clarity in an incredibly tough, lightweight package. Its extremely popular magnification range is perfect for timber and western mountain hunting.
www.leupold.com
It's $100 more, but I find that the higher magnification helps when shooting at the range when tuning in your rifle and handloads.
When hunting if you make the mistake of shooting with 14x selected the first shot works great, but it is almost impossible to reacquire the target for follow-up shots or tracking.
I've never used the side windage adjustments on any hunts. I have a correction table posted in my scope cap, and the side adjustments for me are in inches. A 10 knot crosswind at 400 yards is a 7" of correction. I can correct this without dialing.
I cannot correct 140" of elevation for a 800 yard shot. No idea how high to hold the crosshairs. I can dial 16.25 MOA, though, and put the crosshairs on the target. Very useful.
3-9 good enough for 500 yards target shooting? I should have clarified that. My bad.
go with a x14 or x15 scope. with 10x mag at 500 the target is pretty small.
I'm also a fan of low profile turrets for a hunting scope. At the range the turret profile doesn't matter, but when pulling a rifle out of a scabbard the tall turrets get in the way.
3-9 is more than plenty for 500 yard target shooting. I like to be around 8x at 500 on an 8" plate if it's shot up and hard to see, 6x for something like a 12" plate or something with fairly fresh paint so it's easier to see. You could easily shoot out to 800+ (1k would be very doable) with that scope, no problem.
mavenbuilt.com
More to your point, a fixed 6x SWFA would be my pick for that use case. In fact, I did just that with my own backup/trainer/loaner .308. I shoot that rifle to 600-800 some, though it gets more use practicing field/positional shooting at 300-500. Absolute dead reliability, very cost effective, and does everything I need a scope to do on that rifle.
3-9 SWFA would be first choice if you see shooting past 500 often.
Only downside to these SWFA scopes is they are on backorder with no in-stock date as of right now. Could be weeks or months, we just don't know.
If you need something with a more definite delivery date, Euro Optic is running some smoking good deals on some Trijicon scopes that have demonstrated reliability far better than you'll get with any of the Vortex, Leupold, Athlon, etc offerings. This Credo 2.5-10 is well over 50% off. The 56mm objective is bigger than I'd choose, but beggars can't be choosers and a nearly $1200 scope for under $550 is a fantastic value.
Trijicon Credo 2.5-10x56 SFP w/ Green MRAD Ranging, 30mm, Matte Black Riflescope 2900026
FREE SHIPPING on Trijicon Credo 2.5-10x56 SFP w/ Green MRAD Ranging, 30mm, Matte Black Riflescope 2900026www.eurooptic.com
and actually available unlike all the fanboy SWFA recommendations. Yes SWFA is dependable, but ass at low light and almost never in stock.
More to your point, a fixed 6x SWFA would be my pick for that use case. In fact, I did just that with my own backup/trainer/loaner .308. I shoot that rifle to 600-800 some, though it gets more use practicing field/positional shooting at 300-500. Absolute dead reliability, very cost effective, and does everything I need a scope to do on that rifle.
3-9 SWFA would be first choice if you see shooting past 500 often.
Only downside to these SWFA scopes is they are on backorder with no in-stock date as of right now. Could be weeks or months, we just don't know.
If you need something with a more definite delivery date, Euro Optic is running some smoking good deals on some Trijicon scopes that have demonstrated reliability far better than you'll get with any of the Vortex, Leupold, Athlon, etc offerings. This Credo 2.5-10 is well over 50% off. The 56mm objective is bigger than I'd choose, but beggars can't be choosers and a nearly $1200 scope for under $550 is a fantastic value.
Trijicon Credo 2.5-10x56 SFP w/ Green MRAD Ranging, 30mm, Matte Black Riflescope 2900026
FREE SHIPPING on Trijicon Credo 2.5-10x56 SFP w/ Green MRAD Ranging, 30mm, Matte Black Riflescope 2900026
